[(JD)]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
The Story on Self-Esteem

You can't touch it, but it affects how you feel. You can't see it, but it's there when you look at yourself in the mirror. You can't hear it, but it's there every time you talk about yourself. What is this important but mysterious thing? It's your self-esteem!

What Is Self-Esteem?
To understand self-esteem, it helps to break the term into two words. Let's take a look at the word esteem first. Esteem (say: ess-teem) is a fancy word for thinking that someone or something is important or valuing that person or thing. For example, if you really admire your friend's dad because he volunteers at the fire department, it means you hold him in high esteem. And the special trophy for the most valuable player on a team is often called an esteemed trophy. This means the trophy stands for an important accomplishment.

And self means, well, yourself! So when you put the two words together, it's easier to see what self-esteem is. It's how much you value yourself and how important you think you are. It's how you see yourself and how you feel about your achievements. Self-esteem isn't bragging about how great you are. It's more like quietly knowing that you're worth a lot (priceless, in fact!). It's not about thinking you're perfect - because nobody is - but knowing that you're worthy of being loved and accepted..

Why Self-Esteem Is Important
Self-esteem isn't like a cool pair of sneakers that you'd love to have but don't have to have. A kid needs to have self-esteem.

Good self-esteem is important because it helps you to hold your head high and feel proud of yourself and what you can do. It gives you the courage to try new things and the power to believe in yourself. It lets you respect yourself, even when you make mistakes. And when you respect yourself, adults and other kids usually respect you, too.

Having good self-esteem is also the ticket to making good choices about your mind and body. If you think you're important, you'll be less likely to follow the crowd if your friends are doing something dumb or dangerous. If you have good self-esteem, you know that you're smart enough to make your own decisions. You value your safety, your feelings, your health - your whole self! Good self-esteem helps you know that every part of you is worth caring for and protecting.
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for more go to: http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/em...lf_esteem.html

[Rapunzel]

I like that. Thanks for sharing it. I read it, and printed it out for my kids, and I'm also going to give a copy to a co-worker who has been looking for self-esteem information for her daughter. I haven't looked at the link yet, but I will.

[Miss_A]

Very good but I feel a little too old for a kids website link. Even though I have been on www.connexions.gov.uk before I feel like I already know this stuff now looking for the answers to life!

[(JD)]

Well, the basics are all there... more than what I copied... and just because it's in plain English doesn't mean it's demeaning, Miss A. (American English.) I think, imo, that you may "know" this cognitively, but haven't yet been able to apply them. I say that because most of the population hasn't! LOL imo strictly imo.